Ashes
by kaibasgirlx
Summary: Sometimes, it's not how hard you've fallen, but how hard those around you think you have.


**Ashes**

Sokka grimaced as he stood outside the unmarked door, a tray of food balanced in his hands. Why, oh why was he stuck with this job? Of course, because Katara had said he looked _bored_. After all, the 3 million servants that worked in the palace were far too incompetent to deliver a simple tray of food. No, it _had_ to be him. Well, at least now he would get to see just how messed up Azula really was. After all, this was the woman who had chased him and his friends all over the world, defeated his girlfriend in battle, locked said girlfriend up in prison, and nearly killed Zuko and Aang.

It would be rather nice to have the last laugh.

Emboldened by that thought, he carelessly knocked on the door, before pushing it open after a few moments of silence.

"Room service," Sokka said sarcastically, as he put the tray down on the nightstand, eyes taking in the small room.

There was a bed, a dresser, a night table, and a closet. There was also a full-length mirror that hung against the wall, but it was cracked and broken and stained with blood. Sokka shuddered slightly as he looked away.

"Hey princess," he said, spotting her sitting on the floor, hair a mess, seemingly staring at nothing. "Your food is here. You know, _food_? The stuff that gives you energy? Or maybe in your case it would be better not to, since you might actually do something with it."

She didn't respond, not even giving the slightest indication that she had heard him. Sokka sighed. Katara said that he should make sure she ate, because lately she seemed to be trying to starve herself.

"Listen, princess, I'd really like to leave. So can you, you know, at least _pretend_ to take a bite, so that I can tell Katara that you ate something and she'll leave me alone?"

Still no answer, and it was starting to wear on Sokka's nerves. Katara had told him the orderlies had tried to force-feed her, but it hadn't worked. She merely set them on fire. Sokka didn't know why Aang hadn't bothered taking Azula's bending away, like he had done with her father. But Aang maintained that he was not going to start playing policeman with bending. Fire Lord Ozai had been a threat to the entire world. Azula was not a threat, at least not anymore. Simply a broken girl who had lost her way.

Still, the people at the asylum kept her sedated enough that it would depress her bending abilities. It wasn't foolproof though, because she could still bend if someone got her mad enough, but as long as he would tread that careful line, he'd be fine.

Of course, Sokka was beginning to find it difficult to keep playing host, and was gradually losing his patience.

"Come on, princess. What happened to the great and powerful Azula? You know, don't think I forgot how you chased us all over the Earth Kingdom. Or how you nearly killed Aang. And I _especially_ haven't forgotten what you did to Suki." His blue eyes turned cold, the memory of her mockery in his most desperate hour coming to the surface. "I have to hand it to you though, back then, you were really something else. I could see why so many people feared and admired you. I could also see why people loathed and hated you. You had everything back then, didn't you? Power, charm, charisma...Except that you didn't. You didn't have any friends, and you didn't have a family that cared about you. You should be thanking Zuko for giving you this much. He hates you, you know. But he feels some responsibility towards you, because, after all, you _are_ his sister, even if you did make his life a living hell for seventeen years. So how's about you just do as you're told, and eat your food already? Then you can go back to hearing those voices in your head, and breaking things like the rest of that mirror over there. I'll even leave you the plates after you're done, so you can break those too."

No response. Not even a flicker. Sokka was fast losing his patience, as he picked up a bowl, spooning some rice haphazardly into it, and taking a pair of chopsticks. Going over to where she sat listlessly, he held both items out to her, but she didn't even move to take them.

"Do I have to feed it to you?" Sokka growled, as he bent down towards her, loading the chopsticks and offering it to her.

She looked up at him at last, eyes completely blank and vacant. Sokka felt his anger melt away, as she opened her mouth like a small child. Whatever Azula may have been, she was a shell of her former self, and he couldn't find it in himself to stay angry, despite his grievances.

"Careful, it's hot," he said softly, noticing the steam wafting off from it.

She closed her mouth around the chopsticks, and Sokka shook his head, letting out a sigh. _A complete shadow of herself_.

Suddenly, he felt two clammy hands wrapping themselves around his throat, constricting his air passageways. Sokka spluttered as his eyes flew open, only to stare into two pools of molten gold, the anger and rage in them bubbling like lava. Behind him, he could hear the soup bowl cracking and shattering, as its contents reached abnormally high temperatures.

"Y-You..." Sokka choked, as Azula's grip tightened.

"Now you listen to me, Sokka of the Water Tribe," Azula hissed, lifting herself onto her knees, her face filling his entire field of vision. "I may be broken, but I am still very much the same person I was before."

She let go of his neck, as she got to her feet, allowing Sokka to fall to the ground as he gasped and wheezed for air.

She stood over him for a moment, watching in contemptuous silence.

"You see? Now things are as they should be. You prostrating yourself before me. That's how the hierarchy works."

Sokka cursed in anger as her bare feet stalked past him, heading towards the door.

"What are you doing?" He finally managed to get out, after he heard it clicking shut.

"I like to have company while I eat, so I'm inviting you to stay for a while."

Sokka wiped his mouth, as he finally got his breath under control. "Invite? Tch. You're a real lousy hostess when you try to strangle your guests."

Azula went over to the tray, loading herself another bowl of rice.

"I do so when the company they send me allows his mouth to run," she replied, non-fazed. "So tell me," she turned to him with a smirk. "How's Suki doing? Or is she still sore that I won our little spat?"

Sokka's hands balled into fists. "Don't you dare talk about Suki! She's more of a person than you'll ever be!"

"Hmm..I don't recall asking how human or otherwise she is in comparison to me. All I did was inquire after an old acquaintance."

Sokka wanted to retort, but stopped. Something was very off here.

"What's the matter?" Azula asked mockingly. "Cat got your tongue?"

"No," he answered quietly. "It's just...they told me you're crazy and unstable. But talking to you now...you seem almost..normal. How's that possible?"

Azula took a bite of rice, chewing on her chopsticks before responding with a question of her own. "Define 'normal'."

"You know, normal. Like, not crazy, not hearing voices or talking to yourself. _Normal_."

Azula shrugged her shoulders. "I suppose a year of therapy will help. It's hard to come to terms with the fact that no one in the world honestly cares about you."

"After the way you treated them, I can't see how they would."

Azula narrowed her eyes, gripping her chopsticks so hard, they broke in half.

"Touchy, aren't we?" Sokka sneered. "Are you going to firebend? Or maybe you'll just start crying?"

Azula threw her bowl of rice at him. Sokka neatly dodged.

"Oh, nice, princess. Real nice."

Azula struggled to get herself under control. There was no reason to answer to his provocations. It was exactly what he wanted. Just like the rest of them.

"What would a filthy peasant like you know of my life? All you ever had to worry about was how to catch your prey so you could eat. A boor like you would never understand true hardship."

"Excuse me? !" Sokka's eyebrows shot up in disbelief. "_I_ don't know what hardship is? I'm not the one who sat on her royal hiney all day, while servants brought her everything she ever wanted! I actually had to _work_ for my bread and water, unlike some people!"

"And you think we didn't have to work in the Fire Nation, simply because we're royalty? !" Azula screamed, hands balling into fists. "We had to work and train every single day to prove our worth! No one cared if we were the scions of Sozin! We had to _earn_ our honor and respect!"

"At least you never had to worry about where your next meal would come from, or how you were going to protect your family should a threat arise, or even how you were going to make it through the next day!" Sokka shot back. "I lost my mother when I was a small kid, and my father went off to fight shortly after. I spent most of my life being raised by my grandmother, trying to look out for my younger sister, train myself, and try to protect the entire village at the same time!"

"Oh, boohoo, cry me a river," Azula sneered. "At least you knew your parents loved you! My mother thought I was nothing more than a monster, and my father never loved me! I was only as good a tool as he wielded! I was never allowed to make mistakes, never allowed to fail, because if I did, I would have to face his wrath!"

Sokka was silent for a moment, unable to think of a single retort. She was right; he always knew his parents loved him, and that was what helped him get through the toughest days.

"So why didn't you fight back?" He responded. "Why didn't you try to rebel?"

"Rebel?" Azula gave a cold, mirthless laugh. "The Fire Nation doesn't _do_ rebellion. Have you never wondered why, in the last one hundred years of war, no one ever tried to start a coup within the Fire Nation?"

"That's easy," Sokka snorted. "Because your people lied to their children about the truth."

"Oh, please," Azula dismissed him. "Do you honestly think that in the last century, out of all the millions of people living in the Fire Nation, not even one of them would have been smart enough to figure out the truth? Don't be so stupid. It's because the Fire Nation quashes its rebels quickly and effectively. We put out the flame before it begins to burn, and _that_ is why no one has ever been able to penetrate our forces from within, or without."

Sokka was silent for a moment, unable to think of anything to say to this.

"You seem rather impressed," Azula remarked, as she poured herself a cup of tea.

"I guess I am," Sokka surmised. "But either way, even if you had the power to stand up to your family, I bet you wouldn't have done it."

"Probably not," Azula agreed unconcernedly.

"That's sickening," Sokka responded with disgust.

"Would _you_ have had the guts to go up against your entire family?" Azula stated. It was a rhetorical question, but she got a response anyway.

"Of course I would have!" Sokka answered fiercely. "I always stand up for what's right, even if no one else agrees with me!"

"Is that so?" Azula cocked an amused brow. "Then why did you abandon your village, leaving it completely unprotected, and instead chose to fly halfway around the world with your sister and the Avatar?"

"What do you mean?" Sokka asked, not understanding her question. "Of course I was going to go with my sister! I wasn't going to let her run off by herself!"

"But your father left you in charge of the village. Doesn't that come first, before going off on some fantastical adventure?"

"My sister was hell-bent on going! There was no way for me to stop her!"

"Yes, but the _right_ thing to do would have been to stay behind and keep the village safe, as per your father's orders."

Sokka narrowed his eyes. "Those are two completely different situations. You can't compare me leaving my village to you going along with your father's plan to rule the world."

"Perhaps not, but they aren't such black and white situations either."

"No," Sokka agreed quietly, despite himself. "They're...complicated."

There was a pause, before he turned to the princess with kinder eyes. "So..how old were you when your mom left?"

"I was about six," she responded. "How about you?"

"I was seven."

"How did she die?" Azula asked interestedly.

"A Fire Nation soldier killed her. She sacrificed herself for Katara's sake. She lied and said she was a waterbender, since that's who they were looking for, but the real waterbender was my sister."

"Ah.."

"How about your mother?" Sokka asked.

Azula brushed her bangs out of her face. "My grandfather, Azulon, became furious at my father for asking him to relinquish Uncle Iroh's right to the throne, since his only son, my cousin Lu Ten, was killed in battle. Because of his audacity, my grandfather commanded that he kill his own son, Zuko, as punishment."

"What?" Sokka exclaimed in shock.

Azula gave him a pointed look. "Are you really that surprised?"

"Yes," Sokka answered honestly. "But I guess I shouldn't be."

The princess shrugged. "Well, anyway, my father was ready to do it, since Zuko was pretty much a failure to him either way. Except that my dear mother found out and intervened. She struck a deal with my father. He would let Zuko live, on the condition that she kill Azulon, thereby allowing my father to take the throne for himself. As punishment though, she would be forever banished from the Fire Nation."

Sokka's eyes were as wide as saucers. "And she really did it?"

"_Obviously_. My brother is still alive, isn't he?"

Sokka leaned back, whistling. "Wow, your mom's got guts."

"My mother has nothing! She was a stupid, idiotic woman who played favorites and only cared about her stupid son!"

"Aww, what happened, she didn't say goodbye to you?" Sokka mocked.

Azula narrowed her eyes, before looking away.

"No, she didn't."

Sokka's mockery turned sour; as he saw the tears slip down her cheeks, despite her best efforts to hide them.

"Azula.."

"She never said goodbye! Never! But she made sure to say goodbye to Zuko! Her precious, loving Zuko! That she had no problem with! Sacrificing herself, and giving everything up for him, that wasn't a big deal! But to say goodbye to her one and only daughter, now _that_ was too difficult for her to do!"

She dissolved into bitter tears, burying her face in her hands, as she cried for 15 years of pain.

Sokka stood, stunned for a moment, unsure of what to do. Finally, he picked himself up and made his way to the door. Standing on the threshold, he turned to look back at the crying princess, before gently closing the door on her sobs.

* * *

><p><em>AN:_

_Wow, over 2 years of not writing Avatar, and the first thing that comes out is Sokkla. Figures._

_I'm not quite sure what was the point in this, but I was sitting in my living room one night with my many notebooks, and I just had to write a conversation between these two. I liked the flow of it, but whatever._

_Oh, and I noticed that ff d0t net has this new thing where you can't put a question mark (?) and an exclamation point (!) right next to each other. I see this done all the time in printed books, so how the hell do they figure that it's breaking proper grammer? I don't know. It just feels like this site is trying to limit the expression of writers more and more every day. But yeah, that's why you see a space between those two punctuation marks._

_Anyway, -sigh- I really miss these two. I guess maybe that's the point of this oneshot, lol._

_Please review. I'd love to know what you thought. OOC? IC? The most gd-awful thing you've ever read in your entire life? ? Yeah, I'd really like to know._

_Disclaimer: I do not own Avatar: The Last Airbender._

_Téa_


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